Tubular structure



March 27, 1951 E. c. BOOTH 2,545,493

TUBULAR STRUCTURE Filed sept. 2o, 1946 jg 2buy. 1.

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Patented Mar. 27, 1951 TUBULAR STRUCTURE Earl C. Booth, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to Arvin Industries, Inc., a corporation of Indiana Application September 20, 1946, Serial No. 698,156

Claims.

My invention relates to articles, and more especially to articles of furniture, made of metal tubing. As a material for the structural elements of metal furniture or other articles, metal tubing has the advantage oi' lightness, strength, rigidity, and attractive appearance; but in many situations it possesses the disadvantage that other structural elements cannot be readily attached to it. The piercing of metal tubing by an economical punching operation in order to provide for the passage of bolts, rivets, or other connecting means frequently presents a problem because of the diiiiculty of supporting the tubing interiorly during the punching operation.

It is an object of my invention to adapt metal tubing for use in situations to which it has previously been regarded as unadapted. Another object of my invention is to facilitate the attachment of other elements to a stretch of metal tubing. Still another object of my invention is to produce an improved article of furniture embodying metal tubing.

In carrying out my invention, I distort the metal of the tubing for a portion only of its circumference, forcing such metal inwardly from opposite sides of the tubing until the distorted portions are brought into parallelism and preferably until they meet to form a web of double thickness, such a web in most instances lying in a diametral plane of the tubing. The doublethickness plane web thus formed may be pierced, slotted, notched or otherwise treated to facilitate its attachment to another element or elements.

One article in which my invention may be employed to advantage is a so called sun-tan cot which, by relative adjustment of its frame-portions, can be converted from a cot into a chaise longue or chair. In employing my invention in such an article, the frame is formed of tubular side members each including a portion extending obliquely downward from a point adjacent the rear edge of the seat. A back pivotally connected to such side members near the rear edge of the seat has secured to it at an intermediate point a swingable yoke engageable with any of a series of notches in the obliquely extending portions of the side members; such yoke being integral with arms projecting forwardly from the back. An extension, pivotally secured to the side members at the front edge of the seat, may be swung from a position at the end of the seat to provide a foot rest.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved sun-tan cot, the parts being shown in chain lines in the positions they occupy when the article is being used as a chair and in dotted lines in the positions occupied when it is being used as a cot; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the article with the frame adjusted to cot-forming condition; Figs. 3 and 4 are a fragmental side elevation and a fragmental plan on an enlarged scale illustrating the manner in which the tubing is distorted to provide the yoke-receiving notches; Fig. 5 is an elevation illustrating the manner in which the tubing may be distorted to provide a sliding connection; Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and Figs. 7 and 8 are elevations illustrating further modifications.

The cot illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a pair of side members formed of metal tubing each bent to provide a generally horizontal, seat-supporting stretch I0, a vertical portion II forming a front leg, an oblique portion I2 extending downwardly and rearwardly from the rear of the seat to an axle I3, and a back-supporting portion I4 extending generally upward from the axle. The upper ends of the two back-supporting portions may be bent into alignment and joined together in any suitable manner to form a cross-member I5; or, if desired, both side members may be formed of a single length of tubing the ends of which form the lower portion of the front legs II. The axle I3-projects beyond the side members and is there provided with wheels I5 to facilitate movement of the cot.

Adjacent the junction of the stretches I@ and I2 of the side members, the frame is provided with a cross member upon which the back I8 is pivotally mounted. To hold the back in any of various positions of adjustment, I employ a yoke I9 which is pivoted to the back as indicated at 20 and which possesses an intermediate portion I9 adapted to be received in any of a series of notches 2| in the stretches I2 of the side members. The .end portions of the yoke I9 are respectively rigid with arms 22, which extend forwardly from the back in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1.

At the front end of the seat-forming portions I0 of the side members, I provide a second cross member 23 upon which I pivotally mount an eX- tension 24. The extension 24 is swingable from a position, illustrated in chain lines in Fig. 1, beneath the side of the chair to a position, illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which it projects forwardly in extended position to support the feet. Legs 25 pivotally connected to the extension 24 may be employed to support it in any extended position.

The frame as so far described, including the back I8, the seat-forming portion I0, and the extension 24, is covered with any suitable upholstery or other supporting material 26.

With the back I8 in the full-line position shown in Fig. l, and with the extension 24 either` in the full-line or retracted chain-line position, the article is adapted for use as a chair. By swinging the extension 24 into the dotted line position, the article becoines a chaise longue. When used either as a chair. or a chaise longue, the back I8 can be adjusted to any inclination provided by the notches 2l. The rigid interconl nections of the yoke I9 and the arms 2,2 facili-n tate such adjustment, as both the back I8- and the yoke can be manipulated by forces applied to the arms by the occupantof the chair. A 'Vlith the extension 2&3 in the dotted-line position shown, 'the back I8 can be lowered untilfsupported on the cross-member I5, thus converting the article into a cot. 'm

The manner in which thetubing is treated tet provide the notches 2IA is illustrated o n an enlarged scale in FigsA 3 and 4, and also` in Fig. 6, which latter may be regarded as a representa# tive cross-sectional illustration of. all the` rnbdications illustrated. As will be clear'fr'rn those figures, portions of the tube-wall lying adjacent each other and on opposite sides of a diarnetral portion of the tube-Wall between the punchesv inwardly to form the doubler-thickness web 39,.

The web 39, once formed, may be treated in any desired manner to effectuate the connection of the tube to some other element.` In the, case of the article illustrated in Figs.A 1 to several of the webs 30 are formed at: spaced interyals along the tubing and each of them is notched to provide for the reception o f the intermediate portion of the yoke I9. In Fig. 5, the web 39 has considerable extent longitudinally of the tube, and is provided with an elongated slot 35 adapted to receive slidably a stud or pin 35 on a link S1. In Fig. 7, the web is punched for the reception of a rivet 38 by which the tube. is connected to a strip or strut 39;` and in Fig. 9 I have illustrated the web as pierced "for the reception of the hooked end 40 of a helical spring 4I.

It will be apparent that my method oi forming tubing to facilitate its attachment or connection to other structural elements has a Wide application; and it is accordingly to be understood that the structural elements in the drawing are merely shown by way of example. Since the distortion is conned to a portion only of the circumference of the tube, a tubular section is still left at the side of the distortion. Preferably, the circumferential extent of the distorted portions are such in the aggregate that the outer edge of the web 39 projects to only a slight extent beyond the limits of the tube, thus contributing to a pleasing appearance.

' I claim as my invention:

1,. In an article comprising an element formed of metal'tubing, adjacent portions of the wall of said tubing lying adjacent and on opposite sides of a diametral plane being distorted inwardly into contact with each other to form a web of double thickness, said distorted portions being continuous with each other at their outer edges for at least a portion of their,` longitufdin l extent occupying in the aggregate, Inaterially.

less than the entire circumference of the tubing whereby a portion of the tubing wall diaJrrietl rically opposite the web will substantially'retain its original curvature, said web beingprovided with an opening, and a second element received in said opening.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 With the addition that said opening is a notch irdth'e outer edge of said web. 3. rIhe invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said opening is spacd'inwardly from the outer edge of the web, and a third element overlying said web and provided with an opening aligned with that of the web, said second element extending through both open,-L ings to provide an interconnection between the tubing and the third element. 4. The invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said opening is spaced inwardly from the outer edge of the web. 5. 'Ihe invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said opening isan elongated slot spaced inwardly from the outeredge of theyweb.

EARL c. BOOTH REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED s'IATEs- PATENTS 

